Tickets are going fast for the Guggenheim Museum's production of Peter and the Wolf, directed by fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi. This children's classic has become a tradition at the New York museum ever since it was first presented on the Works & Process series in 2007.
As of this writing, tickets remain for the December 13 performances only. Tickets are available through the Guggenheim's website, Guggenheim.org.
"The minute I started doing the show, I had ideas about how to stage it and to make it into this live presentation," Mizrahi recently told the New York Times. In past years, the performance had included art installations by different artists, with Mizrahi providing a lively narration of the musical story.
This year, Mizrahi has transformed the performance into a full-blown theatrical production under his direction. He also designed the set and the costumes and will continue in his role as narrator. The Juilliard Ensemble, under the direction of George Manahan, will play Prokofiev's famous score.
This musical tale is designed to introduce listeners to the instruments of the orchestra--with each character represented by an instrument or group of instruments. Peter is represented by the strings, the Bird by a flute, the Cat by a clarinet and the Wolf by three horns.
Dancers will bring the characters to life on a stage that resembles Central Park, in dance sequences choreographed by John Heginbotham.
Mizrahi envisions Peter wearing a gray prep school blazer and propeller beanie. The Bird is a blue jay with impressive plumage, dressed in a blue baseball uniform and wearing what appear to be Nike pointe shoes. The Wolf wears a gray hoodie and long, fluffy gray tail.
This is not Mizrahi's first foray into the theatrical world. He has designed sets and costumes for the Mark Morris Dance Group and the San Francisco Ballet. He directed Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music for the Opera Theater of St. Louis in 2010, designing the set and costumes as well. Mizrahi will return to the Opera Theater to direct a production of The Magic Flute in May 2014.
All Peter and the Wolf performances take place in the Guggenheim's Peter B. Lewis Theater.
